Meet Pamela Abdelnour | Wedding and Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pamela Abdelnour and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pamela, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Being risk averse and an entrepreneur don’t usually go hand-in-hand and for good reason. Owning a business is all about opening yourself up to risk of every variety imaginable. As I get older the ‘risks’ I face associated with entrepreneurship have evolved. Many risks I started with haven’t been totally eliminated but new ones have been added to the mix, ones that make the originals seem rather trivial.

For far longer than I care to admit, I didn’t market my work in any way when I accidentally started a photo-side business in 2009 after buying my first DSLR purely for hobby-sake. I believed my knowledge of photography had to be wide and deep before I could seek out paying customers. The thought of my clients having buyers’ remorse and ‘real photographers’ judging me and my work kept my voice silent. Meanwhile, other amateur photographers were putting themselves out there, gaining exposure and developing their craft through the experiences I wasn’t having for fear of judgement and failure. Plenty highly-sought-after photographers started their entry level photo careers at the same time or even after I stumbled into mine. The difference being they weren’t afraid to risk failure, learning along the way and have been deservedly rewarded for it.

Being unwilling to ‘go for it’ while I was much younger and had the flexibility someone without children has meant when I did finally start chasing the hope of a full time photo career in 2021, I had three children, the youngest being under 1 year old. My tiny humans are my greatest gift but that doesn’t change the very real struggle of balancing home and work life as any working parent knows.

The greatest risks I take now carry far more permanent consequences, namely, the impact they have on my family life. Like many photogs out there, I have a 9-5 career outside of my photography business. As a result, my weekdays are spent away from them while they are in school or at daycare and I’m in an office. As I pursue my passion, I now also spend weekends and weeknights seeing even less of them shooting weddings and portrait sessions. At bedtime, I often have to tell them “no, mama can’t lay with you to fall asleep, I have to edit”… I attempt to explain to my disappointed tiny humans that I have to say ‘no’ now in the hopes I can build a business that gives me more flexibility to be a present parent in the future. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but time flies and children grow quickly… really quickly. Either potential outcome as a working mom on two fronts is a double edged sword:

Outcome 1- The full time photo career never pans out- I miss meaningful time with them now and never get the photo career I dream of that allows me to ‘catch up’ later on.

Outcome 2- I finally reach my photo career goals but my children are practically adults who I can no longer snuggle as they drift off to sleep- they have their own lives to lead and I’m not needed or wanted like I once was. I missed it. And let’s be honest, even if I can achieve better work life balance while they are still adolescents, there is no real ‘catching up’. Missed moments are a sunk cost, impossible to get back- birthdays, family dinners, evening walks around the block together…

About 7 years ago I became a Jesus follower, placing my trust in Him as my Lord and Savior, my guiding light. My faith has led me to realize that the I have quite a few misplaced idols that all center around others’ opinion of me and my career. Concerns over Instagram followers and a booked out photo calendar sound a lot less important when I imagine myself reflecting back on those “accomplishments” as an old woman wishing I had focused more on my family. While being bolder and taking greater risks from a younger age may have given me my photography dreams, I trust that God has a plan for my life. I seek his guidance and do my best to put faith and family first over work. For now, I live and learn, doing my best to put boundaries in place to protect what will matter most to me on my deathbed (hint: it’s not either of my careers) and pray for the best.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a photographer, I am most proud of giving my clients peace, comfort and joy, whether it be during the planning leading up to a wedding, the wedding day itself or a portrait session. 99.9% of us feel awkward in front of a camera and are rather introverted as individuals which makes having our photo taken less than a favorite activity for almost everyone and we often don’t like the outcome.

As an adolescent, I had a few friends who were very outgoing and made new friends with incredible ease. I essentially feigned the self-confidence they had when it came to meeting people, public speaking, etc. until it was no longer fake. No one enjoys feeling out of place in any situation- I realized that extending kindness and welcoming others into a space or occasion and giving them relief from being ‘the outsider’ removed any feelings I also had of the same nature. I have become a self-taught extrovert and it has served me incredibly well in every area of my life, personal and professional.

As a recovered introvert, I know how uncomfortable it is to be in an unfamiliar situation, surrounded by strangers, feeling less than totally self-confident… Coming into any situation as a warm and welcoming presence to feel like an old friend and then using that to create relaxed poses and genuine moments between subjects emitting real emotions to be captured in a photograph they will love is a thrill that will never get old.

Before I ever click the shutter, I tell my clients “This is all for fun! You can’t screw this up!” because it is 100% true. If you as a subject can act as close to normal (your movements, smile, interactions with the people you are with) when a camera isn’t around, you will love your photos because your authentic self and relationships are what you will see when you look at it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
While I am an outgoing person, I admittedly don’t ‘go out’ a whole heck of a lot! (mom of three, remember?! haha)

Depending on the season, there are definitely some favorite activities and places to visit throughout the year.

In the summer, a must is spending time on a Michigan lake- growing up I spent one week each summer at a rented cottage on Intermediate Lake in Bellaire. The quaint towns of the area, incredibly beautiful waters (Torch Lake, anyone?) and chill lifestyle that comes with boating, summer cookouts and s’mores over a campfire in Michigan are not to be missed. The Traverse City Cherry Festival is another must-see and taste event!

Autumn in Michigan deserves a multi-week vacation, there is so much beauty and goodness to take in that time of year in this state. We would have to travel north to see incredible foliage and tour as many apple orchards as time allowed to taste test all the cider and donuts possible!

Winter can feel like it lasts forever here, but the holidays provide so many cozy nostalgic activities, I find myself hoping for snow and a few more days to get all the activities in. Must-do activities include visits to Frankenmuth and Bronner’s, a walk down Main Street in downtown Rochester for the lights, tickets to Greenfield Village’s Holiday Nights and if the snow in fact does come, a snowmobiling or sledding adventure.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
All credit and recognition go to my Heavenly Father, for giving me the breath in my lungs and loads of wonderful people he has surrounded me with in this life. My daily prayer of thanks goes to God for putting people in my life who pointed me to him, who encourage me both in my walk of faith as well as supporting me as a wife, mother and photographer. To name everyone would take up quite a few pages, but to name a few people I will be forever be grateful for in support of my photography career specifically include Mike, Chelsie, Gail, Alyssa and Jan.

Website: https://www.pamelaabdelnour.com

Instagram: @pamelaabdelnourphoto

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelaabdelnour/

Facebook: @pamelaabdelnourphoto

Image Credits
Pamela Abdelnour